Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Like
most fans of the Wrangler’s Creek series, I’ve been more than anxious for
Lucian’s story. There’s just something about the Granger family that appeals to
my heart. They’re a family I can’t help but love and laugh at while being
thankful they aren’t mine. I can’t help but break out in a grin before I open a
Delores Fossen book, knowing I’m in for a heck of a fun time. She has such a
talent for peppering a moving love story with humor and heart. And The Last
Rodeo is about as perfectly hilarious and heartwarming as a book can get.

Lucian
Granger was the big brother and boss of Granger Enterprises. He’d taken over
the ranch and company at the age of 18. His father, before running out on his
family, had nearly run the ranch into the ground. But Lucian had made the
company the success it was now. His no nonsense approach to business may have
gotten him the name Lucifer from the people of Wrangler’s Creek, but if that’s
what it took to succeed, so be it. Because anything other than success was a
sign of weakness.

Karlee
O’Malley was Lucian’s assistant and girl Friday. She handled everything,
thinking of what Lucian needed even before he did. She’d worked for Lucian for
10 years but she’d been hung up on him since she was a kid. He’d only seen her
as his assistant but he’d been much more to her. She’d managed to corral her
attraction for years but now she knew it was time to move on. Being around
Lucian day in and day out wasn’t helping her get over her feelings. It was time
to venture out with her own business.

But
both Lucian’s and Karlee’s plans get put on hold when Lucian’s demanding ways
get the town in an uproar. And Jerry, Lucian’s father, shows up wanting to step
back in as CEO of Granger Enterprises. With the town holding a small percentage
of shares in the company, Lucian needs all the support he can get to keep his
father from destroying the company Lucian devoted his life to. And mom Regina
has the perfect plan to change Lucian’s image with the townsfolk of Wrangler’s
Creek. Get engaged to Karlee. Then everyone would no longer see him as Lucifer,
but as a soon to be family man. Short of locking up his dad and throwing away
the key, Lucian and Karlee don’t have any other ideas. They could play the
lovebirds for a few months and call off the engagement when things returned to
normal. But everyone knows there’s nothing normal about the things that happen
in Wrangler’s Creek.

To make
it all look real and to avoid Jerry, Lucian and Karlee take up residence in the
guest house. But that guesthouse was small. And with most of the space piling
up with wedding gifts, they couldn’t help but constantly bump into one another.
And living in such close proximity with all that bumping was starting to give
Lucian “bad ideas”. Karlee had always fantasized what it would be like to be
with Lucian. Even one of his usual one month long relationships. This
engagement was all a lie but living in that guesthouse with him felt real. She
was starting to have second thoughts about pulling this ruse off. Lucian was
having second thoughts too. He knew the engagement wasn’t real but the kick he
got when he kissed Karlee was very real. And now he couldn’t seem to temper
down the thoughts he was having. Thoughts he shouldn’t be having about the girl
who’d been his employee and, more importantly, his friend for years.

As if
the tension between the two of them wasn’t enough, they both get the rug pulled
out from under them when everyone from their past starts showing up. Soon
there’s enough old baggage at Granger Ranch to fill the lost and found at
LAX. Lucian was the fixer. The one
everyone relied on. But he wasn’t sure he could fix the mess his family was
finding themselves in. And his confusing feelings for Karlee only added another
level of complication. Could he work it all out before he lost the business,
the ranch, and the woman he was starting to realize he needed more than
anything else?

Though
everyone but Lucian saw it, he and Karlee were the perfect match. Karlee was so
good at working her magic to smooth things over when Lucian’s personality
ticked people off. I don’t think he would have been the success he was without
Karlee by his side. Once his mother mentioned how Karlee “lights up” when he
was around, he started to notice her. He’d always found her attractive but
didn’t want to ruin their relationship so he’d just ignored the attraction.
Holding on to the pain of their childhoods also got in the way of moving
forward. They both needed to realize that who they were had nothing to do with
the mistakes of their parents. Once they experienced closure in that regard, I
think they were better able to focus on the future they wanted.

The
secondary characters in this series add so much to the story. I loved getting
to visit again with all the Granger siblings and cousins. Even Vita showed up,
which always makes my day. Candy, the Hoo Poo heiress, was hysterical and so
outrageous I couldn’t help but like her. Regina is my idol! I was in tears when
she masked off the entire house dividing it based on Granger shares. Meeting
Jerry and Glenda really helped me understand Karlee and the Grangers better. Glenda
and Jerry had both made choices that had cost them their families. As much as I
hated them for the heartache they’d left in their wake, I kind of felt sorry
for them because they realized what a mistake their actions had been. The
townsfolk really had me chuckling. Delores Fossen uses such perfectly hilarious
imagery to paint her characters. Who knew you could describe people so well
with fruit analogies? And I had to google to see if Hairy Corn Salad was real.
It is!

Ms.
Fossen has such a unique voice in her writing and it really shines through in
this series. No one can turn a phrase quite like her. The witty banter and
embarrassingly hilarious situations are laugh out loud funny and are paired
perfectly with a great romantic slow burn. Nothing about this story was
predictable. I was just as anxious as the rest of the family wondering what
could possibly happen next. Just because a book is labeled romantic comedy
doesn’t mean it lacks seriousness. The Last Rodeo may have you laughing but it
will still pull at your heart strings with the romantic tension and heartache.
Now that Lucian has found his match, I hope this isn’t the end of this series.
I will always be ready for a return visit to Wrangler’s Creek.

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